Political Regimes and Social Mobility: Hungary, 1780-2025

In the rich political history of Hungary, between 1780 and 2025 there have been 5 consolidated political regimes: monarchy (until 1867), constitutional monarchy, 1867-1918, authoritarian nationalism, 1920-1945, socialism, 1947-1989, and parliamentary democracy, 1989-2025. In this paper we show how the relative frequency of elite and underclass surnames among elite occupations and political positions can be used to map out both the social status of traditional elites in Hungary, but also the traditional underclass. This data suggests that across all 5 regimes the underclasses in Hungary saw a slow but steady rise in social status. They remain however, after 200 years still in position of social disadvantage. Political regimes, however, did have substantial impact on the social status of the traditional elite. In particular this elite prospered in the nationalist era, 1920-45, and temporarily suffered under socialism, 1947-89.